Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 12:04 am  

Dan_FC wrote:

Do you really think a salary cap could be put into place now?

Not if the game continues to attract lucrative money. In the US, Super League, NRL and RU all the competitions are relatively small so working together for the common good is much easier to do. None of those competitions has serious overseas rivals like football has i.e. at most you're talking 40 big teams per sport aren't we? Football has 92 professional clubs just in England. Any salary cap would have to be region/global based or you risk losing players to other competitions because there are others.

Perhaps UEFA could manage it but how easy is it going to be for them to get agreement across Europe? On the plus side if there's noises coming from supporters and the current economic distress could force the issue but really I've no idea if you could implement it in football because it's far more complex than the other sports with caps. With Brazil's growing economy the European teams won't want to start losing South Americans and Africans to their which is a consideration for the future (also the USA). Interesting debate though.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 8:44 am  

Roddy B wrote:

A salary cap should also coincide with a transfer cap IMO. Only problem is, players will never agree to a salary cap because they'll argue "if I'm a top player and I contribute to my club making X amount of revenue, I deserve Y amount every year". Unfortunately, I believe the game is too late to change, but the only people who can make it happen are the owners and the authorities. It's a pipe dream IMO, but seeing a side like City does nothing for any other club. Yes, it's orgasmic seeing United cunted like they were today, but there is a bigger picture and many people don't take that into consideration when looking at the morals in football.

City, and Chelsea before them are taking the PL in a direction where to be at the top, you have to have vast financial resources behind you. It may sound ridiculous, but, if other clubs are to gain simliar investment (which is a must if you want to compete at the top), it takes the game even closer to a European Supler League, which will create a real them and us scenario.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 8:57 am  

Where did top banterman Catalancs go?

Why is EE not on here smashing it in to the United fans?

I'm disappointed.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:31 am  

Sthelens RLFC wrote:

Where did top banterman Catalancs go?

Why is EE not on here smashing it in to the United fans?

I'm disappointed.

+1

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:55 am  

getdownmonkeyman wrote:

City's pending is pretty much unprecedented. Look at who they have on loan/kicking their heels in the ether:

Adebayor
Santa Cruz
Bridge

In excess of £50 million, effectively written off. As I said; unprecedented. The only way Utd will be able to compete with City in tthe long term will to take the Qatari Riyal.

this is the one thing that annoys me...it's almost a case of 'no one is allowed to compete with us'. I've read similar is happening in Germany where Beyern used to monopolise the market - now others are competing with them they're asking for a cap which would obviously maintain a kind of status quo with themselves ahead.

Just been through UK transfer records - United still have 4 of the top 10 most expensive players in Premier League history and were spending close to £30m per player as far back as 2001. Veron, Ferdinand were both transfer records in 2001, then 2002. Rooney transferred in in 2004. Berbatov joined in 2008.

the difference is that in the early 2000s only Man U and the odd other club in England had masive spending power. United competed with Madrid/Barcelona and the Italian clubs for the biggest stars (nearly £30m for Veron! - who was a signing who might be said to have been 'written off') but for the next tier down, a going rate of £8m - £15m was beyond what most in the Premier League could pay and United could hoover them up...Forlan (£7m) and Van Nistelrooy (£18.5m) in 2001 along with Veron that year, Fedinand a year later and then Djemba Djemba (£4m) Kleberson (£7m), Ronaldo (£12m), Saha (£13m), Heinze (£7m), and Alan Smith (£7m) all joined in 2003/04. Add that to a goalkeeper (Howard - £2m) and you've a full team on top of what was already at the club which included Scholes, Neville(s), Beckham, Butt etc.. Ps. there are a few in that list who could be seen as 'written off'.

Now there are more buyers in the market - Chelsea and Liverpool are big spenders as well as City and the clubs overseas. Right through to Premier League clubs in mid-table they can spend £10 - £15 on a one off basis...so City's spending at around £25m for players like Milner, Silva etc. just seems to be the going rate.

To think any club has ever not bought the title is just daft - every Premier League title winner (apart from Leeds in year 1 maybe?) has been a big spender, its spending it well that matters

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 9:59 am  

mmp wrote:

To think any club has ever not bought the title is just daft - every Premier League title winner (apart from Leeds in year 1 maybe?) has been a big spender, its spending it well that matters

Aren't City bottom of the 'points per pound' league since their takeover though?

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:02 am  

Saddened! wrote:

Aren't City bottom of the 'points per pound' league since their takeover though?

Liverpool are.

thanks

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:10 am  

Saddened! wrote:

Aren't City bottom of the 'points per pound' league since their takeover though?

and kinda proves the point - it's what you do with the cash. we'll see how the table readjusts with City gaining more points than they would have done in previous seasons and United having to spend more £s - United need a midfielder, maybe two (cost £50 for 2 in this market?) and a centre back (another £20m?).

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:33 am  

Saddened! wrote:

Aren't City bottom of the 'points per pound' league since their takeover though?

And if there was ever a pointless (sic) stat table ever invented, then this would be it.

Re: The Football Chat Thread : Mon Oct 24, 2011 10:42 am  

keithcun wrote:

And if there was ever a pointless (sic) stat table ever invented, then this would be it.

Not really. It shows how well teams are doing with generating points from their spending. There is no question about it, if you spend enough you will win trophies. There is very little skill to it.

Try it on Football Manager. Give yourself a £1,000m budget to spend and see what it does.

City can't expect any acknowledgement for their 'achievements' this season.